THE Department of Health yesterday said coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country are slowly decreasing, mirroring the downtrend in the National Capital Region.
In a townhall forum, DOH – Epidemiology Bureau (EB) Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman reported that they are already seeing a gradual decline in COVID-19 cases on a nationwide scale.
“A decrease in the two-week growth rate and ADAR (average daily attack rate) are seen nationally,” she said.
Data shows that the country currently has a negative growth rate of 9 percent over the past two weeks, while its overall average daily attack rate is at 5.42.
For the period of June 23 to 29, the country averaged 5,749 cases per day, which is lower than the 10,845 daily average during the peak seen during the period of April 9 to 15.
Additionally, De Guzman said that the healthcare utilization rate (HCUR) and ICU bed utilization rate (ICUR) across the country is at 46 percent and 55 percent, respectively.
Last week, the DOH said the national trend was already plateauing, while the independent OCTA Research Team noted that the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines is already decreasing.
The decline on a national scale comes as the Metro Manila continues to see a drop in cases.
“Case trend in NCR is exhibiting a slow decline after a plateau. NCR continues to decline just shy by 300-400 of pre-surge level,” De Guzman said.
In Metro Manila, the decline in cases is at -26 percent, while its ADAR is at 5.01.
On the other hand, its healthcare utilization rate is now only at 37 percent, while its ICU bed use rate is at 43 percent.
Last week, the DOH already classified NCR as being at “low risk”.
While the country and the NCR are seeing drop in cases, the DOH yesterday flagged 19 areas due to increasing number of COVID-19 cases as well as growing bed occupancy rates.
According to De Guzman, they have classified 19 areas, mostly in Visayas and Mindanao, as priority areas.
“We have 19 priority areas that registered moderate to high risk classification for cases and high to critical risk for healthcare utilization rate and ICU bed utilization rate,” said De Guzman, adding: “This means that we must closely monitor these areas.”
In Luzon, identified as priority areas are La Union with an 11% growth rate and 70.83% healthcare utilization rate, Cagayan with 10.49 average daily attack rate and 96.55% ICU bed use, Bataan with 9.44 average daily attack rate and 92.68% ICU bed use rate, Naga City with 13.15 average daily attack rate and 88.46% ICU bed use rate, Lucena City with 8.35 average daily attack rate and 85.71% ICU bed use rate, Baguio City with 14.30 average daily attack rate and 75% ICU bed use rate, and Makati City with 8.3 average daily attack rate and 72.41% ICU bed use rate.
In Visayas, the priority areas are Iloilo City with a 20.60 average daily attack rate and 99.11% ICU bed use rate, Antique with 4.42 average daily attack rate and 100% ICU bed use rate, and Tacloban City with 17.56 average daily attack rate and 81% healthcare utilization rate.
In Mindanao, tagged as priority areas are Zamboanga del Norte with 7.82 average daily attack rate and 100% ICU bed use rate, Cagayan de Oro City, 10.13 average daily attack rate and 80.95 ICU bed rate use; Misamis Occidental, 6.48 average daily attack rate and 72.22% ICU bed use rate; Davao City, 13.59 average daily attack rate and 96% ICU bed use rate; Davao del Norte, 9.66 average daily attack rate and 82% ICU bed use rate; Davao de Oro, 5.11 average daily attack rate and 96.2% healthcare utilization rate; South Cotabato , 12.14 average daily attack rate and 100% ICU bed rate use; General Santos City, 9.36 average daily attack rate and 75.86% ICU bed rate; and Cotabato City, 8.42 average daily attack rate and 78.43% ICU bed use rate.
On a larger scope, the DOH said it has classified as “high risk” two regions in the Visayas and another two in Mindanao.
“We have 4 regions tagged as high risk, namely Region 11 (Davao Region), 6 (Western Visayas), 12 (Soccskargen) and 8 (Eastern Visayas),” said de Guzman.
De Guzman said the Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas are considered as high risk due to their 8.12 and 7.05 ADAR, respectively, while considered to be at high risk are Davao Region and Soccsksargen with their average daily attack rates of 9.14 and 7.10, respectively.
CQs
The Interagency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases yesterday downgraded the quarantine classification in Apayao from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ) from July 1 to 15, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
Roque said the IATF also downgraded the GCQ classification in Ifugao to modified general community quarantine from July 1 to 15.
Roque said the two provinces appealed their initial classification as approved by President Duterte last Monday.
On the other hand, Roque said local executives in the NCR Plus did not appeal their classifications, thus their lockdown status stays: GCQ with some restrictions in the NCR, Rizal and Bulacan, and GCQ with heightened restrictions in Laguna and Cavite.
The GCQ classification from July 1 to July 31, 2021 in the cities of Baguio, Santiago, Zamboanga, Iligan, General Santos and Cotabato City; and the provinces of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Batangas, Quezon, Guimaras, Aklan, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Antique, Capiz, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, and Agusan del Sur is also sustained.
Roque said the MECQ from July 1 to 15 is also retained in the cities of Lucena, Naga, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and Butuan; and the provinces of Cagayan, Bataan, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Negros Oriental, del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Sur.
All other areas in the country are placed under MGCQ until July 31.
Roque said the IATF has also identified and released the list of “green” countries or those with low coronavirus disease (COVID-19) incidence in line with the new quarantine protocols for vaccinated travelers.
Inbound travelers who have been fully vaccinated — either in the Philippines or from “green” countries – can enjoy a shorter seven-day state facility-based quarantine and have their Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing on the fifth day of their facility-based quarantine, with day one being the date of arrival.
The previous protocol called for a 10-day state facility-based quarantine and four day home quarantine upon arrival and RT-PT testing on the seventh day for inbound travelers.
Roque said the “green” countries include: Albania, American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Benin, Belize, The British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cayman Islands, Chad, China, Cote d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Eswatini, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, Gambia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Isle of Man, Israel, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, and Malta.
Also included are: Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Rwanda, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Singapore, Saint Eustatius, South Korea, Taiwan, Togo, Turks and Caicos Islands (UK), Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
Roque said the IATF also agreed that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can use the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) validations as proof of vaccination status. It shall be accepted starting July 5, 2021.
OFWs can also still present International Certificates of Vaccination and may already avail of the green lanes beginning July 1.
Under the IATF guidelines, fully vaccinated travelers are required to present their proof of vaccination upon entering the country.
The Bureau of Immigration reminded airlines not to allow the boarding of passengers from seven countries which are covered by the country’s travel ban until July 15.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said: “Foreigners arriving from the said countries will be denied entry and immediately sent back to their port of origin. On the other hand, Filipinos arriving from these countries as part of repatriation efforts by the government and non-government sectors will be allowed entry.”
He said airlines who will board passengers from the said countries in violation of the travel ban “will be referred to aviation authorities for the imposition of appropriate sanctions.”
The BI chief added that it is the responsibility of the airlines to ensure that foreign passengers boarding their Philippine-bound flights are eligible to enter the country.
CEBU PROTOCOLS
Cabinet Secretary and IATF co-chairman Kalro Nograles said the task force is still looking into the legal and medical implications of Cebu’s request to have separate protocols for Cebuanos and non-Cebuanos international travelers who are arriving in the province.
Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia asked the IATF to allow Cebu to retain its travel protocols and implement it on arriving Cebuanos and apply the national travel protocols on other travelers.
Under Cebu’s protocols, inbound travelers are subject to COVID-19 test upon arrival and allowed to proceed to their home to undergo home quarantine if they tested negative for the coronavirus.
The IATF protocol requires inbound travelers to undergo a 10-day facility based quarantine and four-day home quarantine if they tested negative for COVID-19. IATF also requires inbound travelers to be tested on the seventh day after their arrival.
Nograles said the IATF needs to consider the legal and medical aspect of Cebu’s suggestion before it can decide on the matter, pointing out that the strict travel protocols were imposed in all international ports of entry in the country to keep the Delta COVID variant and other variants of concern out and prevent its spread in the country.
He added that the threats of the Delta variant and how it mutates and spreads should be considered as it increases the transmissibility and hospitalization.
Nograles, Health Secretary Francsco Duque III and National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. met with Cebu officials on Tuesday to discuss the travel protocols as well as the vaccination program of government. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Victor Reyes and Ashzel Hachero
